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Circle of Betrayal
Circle of Betrayal is a Raid Event scheduled to start on August 21, 2014 at 12:00 AM (PST) and end on August 28, 2014 at 11:59 PM (PST). Half-time reward calculation Period is from August 24th 7:00 PM to 7:59 PM (PST). __TOC__ Feature Сhanges * On the final day increased the chance to meet 2x Bosses. Raid Bosses Skill Cards * Darkwolf Witch Mynoghra (UR) Anti-Raid Boss Skill Card * Plant Queen Courtria (Rare) Anti-Raid Boss Skill Card * Maina, the Weeping Blade (UR) Anti-Hidden Raid Boss Skill Card * Liberating Cruxelia (UR) Anti-Secret Raid Boss Skill Card Story "There exists in this world a heretical magic known as 'Life-Grafting'. It is said it was developed by an ancient, mad king, who used the powerful spell to extract the lives of others in order to extend his own. However, even more than just prolong his life, as the name suggests, with each new 'graft' the king grew more and more powerful. He quickly surpassed the powers of men, until, eventually, his strength neared that of the gods." "It was an art created by the Imperial Mage Council, but it is also one of the darkest of magicks, and so it was sealed away by my organization, known as the Regulators of the Dark Arts." "So you're saying the book with that spell was stolen, and you need us to get it back?" "It is not so simple." In a run-down tavern, the only customers were the Heroes, Yvette, and a young woman named Lotesha. Her face as emotionless as a mask, she now continued to describe the situation. "The name of the one who stole the book is Yuis, another member of the Regulators. In short, he is a traitor, and we must take the utmost precaution to ensure a similar incident never occurs again." "What do you mean?" "He must be made an example." "And I'm guessing that's not something your organization wants on its record..." Yvette had quickly turned down the woman's request, but the Heroes were in unspoken agreement regardless. Though they felt that without a doubt they should uphold justice, torture did not align with their code of values. They still knew very little about her, but their first impressions of this woman, Lotesha, were not positive. In fact, those impressions were no less improved by how immediately her request had surfaced after she had met them on their travels and insisted they accompany her to the desolate tavern. At least so far, she had not succeeded in proving herself to be more than a shady subordinate of an equally enigmatic organization. The Heroes were familiar with the Regulators of the Dark Arts and were well aware the purpose of the organization was to take charge of and manage dangerous spells and artifacts alike. They also collected a small sum of taxes from each kingdom, and its members were known for being powerful sorcerers. Put another way, the Heroes could not imagine that the group needed their help to complete such a menial task. "Of course, if my objective were Yuis alone I would have handled the matter myself, but the book he has stolen is highly dangerous, even amongst those managed by the Regulators. It is a book many are looking to obtain." "I have a hard time believing it's as dangerous as you say..." "Each individual instance of the spell's use, perhaps not. What is far more dangerous is that Life-Grafting was created to fulfill the ultimate greed: immortality. It is man's last desire, sought after since time immemorial, and there is little that comes so close to fulfilling that desire than this dark art." "So let me get this straight: All you want from us is to accompany you until you reach Yuis, and protect you from the dangerous baddies after this magic, right?" "I appreciate your comprehending the situation so quickly." Lotesha nodded, then sliced off a piece of beef and brought it to her mouth. Commenting on how it was "incredibly bland," she now stuck her fork in it temporarily. When the Heroes took a bite themselves, they found Lotesha's assessment to be unfortunately accurate. Yvette, on the other hand, appeared turned off from the tavern's offerings altogether, and kept her focus on the matter at hand. "So anyway, you never answered my question. How did a book like that get stolen to begin with? Are members of the Regulators just able to swipe prohibited books willy-nilly?" "It is not something that can be done just 'willy-nilly,' as you say. Only those leaders with the highest authority are even allowed to know of the location of such books." "So Yuis... was one of these leaders?" "No, but he was someone with an equivalent amount of clout in the organization. His master, or, I should say, our master, was one of the most powerful Regulators. Yuis did not just steal this book, he also murdered our master." "Wait a second, that means..." "It is true. Yuis was my senior, and my fiance." "What?!" "It is as it sounds. My current mission is to seek out my senior and my fiance, and end his life." Lotesha said these words flatly, her expression unmoving. It was difficult to tell just what lay behind that iron mask. • • • "To be honest, I did not think you would accept my request," Lotesha said solemnly, as the party left the tavern. The Heroes still had little knowledge regarding Yuis' character, but they had sworn they would have no part in what was to come when they found him. In fact, while they realized they would likely have to stop Lotesha from taking the action she desired, they decided to accompany her for the time being. "Can you tell us any more about Yuis?" asked Yvette out of curiosity. Lotesha appeared to think for a moment, then looked to the sky as she spoke. "He always seemed an honest friend. When my parents died, our master raised me as his own, and Yuis, too, took great care of me." The Heroes were perplexed. They could scarcely grasp how Lotesha could talk of the man who killed her master and stole a powerful, secret book to use for his own ends in such a way. "More than that, he was exceedingly generous, and sacrificed much for the good of others..." "That man... killed your master and betrayed your organization?" "I feel there must have been something that forced him to do it... However, no matter how dire one's circumstances, there are some lines which should never be crossed. That, and to kill the one who raised you in cold blood... To avenge my master, I must kill Yuis. It is my obligation." When the Heroes offered up that perhaps the accusations against Yuis were false, Lotesha's only reply was that there was an "eye-witness" to the crime. "My master's daughter, one who has been as a sister to me for my whole life, saw Yuis commit the act. I know that she would never lie about such things. If she says that is what happened, I have no choice but believe her." It seemed that Lotesha had come to her own conclusions. They imagined that she had often been quite stubborn, and perhaps lacking in tact as well. "To speak the truth, the stealing of this book has caused a schism within our organization, now that one so close to us has been proven to be a murderous traitor. All the more reason why I must be the one to end his life; there is no other alternative." At last, the Heroes understood the bitter reality of the young woman's situation. She had never been given a choice in how to handle the matter, but the Heroes felt they could provide her with another option. While they did not know the right answer, they now posed to Lotesha what they had all desired to know. Upon hearing the question, Lotesha stopped in place. "You will have to forgive me, but I do not have precise information as to Yuis' whereabouts. I apologize, but we'll have to conduct a thorough search." "Well, then I guess we don't have much of a choice. Plus, I'm sure the rewards will be great, right!?" Yvette said cheerily, turning and winking to the Heroes. ... "We must be careful," said Lotesha nervously, as they left the city. It was clear that many eyes would be on her, no less the Heroes themselves, and it felt odd. They had thought about the situation a great deal, and, while Lotesha's pursuit of Yuis would ultimately make things more difficult for him, she had decided it was unnecessary to kill him. Still, it seemed strange that despite it being he who committed the crime, Lotesha, too, faced an incredible amount of scrutiny. "There will be guardians who will be checking to see whether or not I, too, am a traitor, as well as those after the book, who will seek to follow us to Yuis. As I said, I would not need your protection if not for the book." "So who are we up against, anyway?" Yvette stopped in confusion as Lotesha moved ahead. So that the Heroes could keep guard, they had Yvette travel ahead of them, keeping utmost alert as they set now out. Epilogue The dark spirits let forth by Lotesha exploded as they clashed with Yuis' Devilhand, reducing them to aether. Particles of light burst forth, dancing and sparking around the dueling mages, then vanishing as soon as they had appeared. The Heroes could only stand and watch as the epic battle unfurled before them. "S-stop this! Hey! I said stop already!" Yvette shouted, but her words were barely audible above the sounds of the roaring tumult. They stood at the grave of Lotesha's adopted father, the man who had taught her all she knew about magic. The two mages' battle had begun not a moment following the meeting of their eyes. There was also another young woman slouched against the headstone, asleep. She did not stir, despite the ferocity of the battle taking place. The Heroes surmised that she was the younger sister of which Lotesha had spoken. They might have guessed that she had lost consciousness in a battle against Yuis, but no injuries or other sign of struggle marred her form. "C-c'mon Heroes, don't just stand there. Do something already!" But despite Yvette's exasperation, one of the Heroes turned to her and shook their head, telling her it was fine. "What do you mean, 'It's fine'!?" All the more because of the sheer number of life-and-death struggles in which they had engaged, the Heroes knew that nothing needed to be done. It was clear that neither Lotesha nor Yuis intended to kill the other. Rather, it looked as if the two were communicating for the first time in a long while. Only one thing was certain: the answer to the question of what lay hidden behind Lotesha's stony countenance was finally revealed. For it was clear, from the very beginning, she had never intended to kill Yuis. That was why, when they had first met, she had been able to remain so composed when she told the Heroes of her plan. Lotesha and Yuis' struggle continued, but as it waged on and on, it began to look more and more like play. • • • "When, when did you realize that he had used the magic?" Though both sprawled on the ground, winded from their intense battle, the two had at last come to exchange words. Around them, the graveyard was covered in rubble and dust, leaving clear signs of the heated exchange. Meanwhile, the Heroes had carried Lotesha's sister out of the line of fire, but they now returned her to her siblings. "I-it was actually fairly recently. The old man had seemed to grow more desperate as he grew older... I didn't want to believe it, but as I continued to look into things, I uncovered the truth. It always seems that the worse the situation, the more accurate my intuition." Yuis let out a wry chuckle, which echoed through the graveyard. "I suppose you wouldn't believe me even if I told you I never intended to kill him. But as I soon as I showed him I knew the truth, the old geezer came at me before I could utter another word." "Now that you mention it, our master always said that the only way one could be ready for extreme situations was to train every day. That a top-class mage would be able to respond calmly, no matter how difficult the situation," responded Lotesha, then, she too chuckled, as if she had realized something humorous. She was beaming bright as day, for it seemed her iron mask had finally faded. "I'm sorry, Yuis. The fact is... I knew long before you discovered our master's secret." As if she had committed a crime, Lotesha began her confession. Lotesha said how she had seen how her master had grown fearful with age, and that she realized he had been looking for a way to extend his years when he stumbled upon the Regulators' forbidden book. Even knowing that he had stolen it, it was impossible for her to disclose her adopted father's secret, and so she had kept it hidden within her. So she held not even a fragment of suspicion when it finally came to be that Yuis was suspected of perpetrating the theft. Still, she had no choice but to pursue him, both to prove her, and her stepsister's, innocence. In the end, she had no other choice but to fight. "...I'm sure Alisa, too, understood that you did what you had to." Taking a deep breath, Yuis sat up and reached out to the Heroes, who placed Alisa in his arms. "Heroes, I have been thinking through things. I am very sorry to have put you through all of this: Making you fight off all those members of our group and those after the book. Still, I wonder if I could ask of you one last request." The Heroes were about to respond when Yvette cut them off. "Not without an explanation and a reward you can't!" ••• Lotesha and Yuis had decided to leave their posts. Lotesha had said that they would seek someplace where they would be out of the public eye to live together. The party walked along aside them as they gazed at the book Yuis had handed over to them. It was filled with strange words written with even stranger letters. "I'm fairly certain that describes the method for performing Life-Grafting. Though, of course, it can only by deciphered by someone with familiarity of the arcane." "I would guess the rewards for returning it to the Regulators will be more than enough to compensate you for your deeds," added Lotesha. It was the explanation Yvette had previously demanded, and Lotesha now told the group that warning the Regulators of the others conspiring to steal the book was another part of her request. She hoped that with the book's return, the organization would gradually come back to order. Still, perhaps the powerful magic would again be too tempting for those with less rigid morals to resist. "I'd rather just enjoy the life I've been given to the fullest, no matter how limited," announced Yvette. And while they assumed that fairy years were likely different from human years, when one of the party finally asked, they received not a response, but a strong punch to the shoulder. Chapters/quests Raid bosses iOS individual rewards Half-time rankings Final rankings Lucky ranking Mega lucky ranking Daily ranking Repel rewards iOS Guild Rewards Final Rankings Repel Rewards Category:Raid Events Category:Circle of Betrayal